Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pupils will be raising the roof by Singing In The Halls

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Singing In The Halls, organised by Wolverhampton Music Service, will see around 3,000 children from primary and special schools across the city perform at the iconic venue, accompanied by a 14 piece band.

    Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “This will be a fantastic experience for our children to be able to sing at the city’s biggest performance venue, University of Wolverhampton at The Halls, and for so many schools and performers to be a part of it.

    “Children and teachers have been busy practising their songs in school, ready to give their best performances on the big stage, and it is sure to be a day to remember for everyone involved.

    “Music has the power to inspire, uplift and unite, and through these concerts our Music Service is aiming to foster a sense of community and creativity among young performers, and to inspire them to begin their own musical journeys.”

    Ciaran O’Donnell, head of Wolverhampton Music Service, said: “It’s once again been a pleasure working with primary and special schools for Singing In The Halls and we are delighted that we are able to use the University of Wolverhampton at The Halls again this year.

    “Three thousand children from primary and special schools have signed up across the 2 concerts, which is amazing.

    “Singing In The Halls is not just about vocal talents; it’s a chance for pupils to come together, express themselves creatively, build confidence and celebrate our diverse city, creating lasting memories in a supportive setting. We can’t wait!”

    The concerts will be led by Paul Wilcox, vocal strategy partner for the Music Service, and vocalists will be accompanied by the service band.

    Wolverhampton Music Service provides high quality tuition and musical opportunities for youngsters from schools across the city, including the chance to perform with its flagship groups, Wolverhampton Youth Orchestra and Wolverhampton Youth Wind Orchestra. To find out more, please visit Wolverhampton Music Service.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Find out about your university options at Higher Education Fair

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Visitors will be able to learn more about different university courses and their entrance requirements, how to apply for courses and get information on costs, and get details of grants, bursaries and financial support available for travel and childcare.

    There will also be information about Adult Education Wolverhampton’s Level 3 Access to Higher Education courses to help people prepare for university, and specific schemes, programmes and tester events to ease the transition from Level 3 to degree studies and give prospective students the chance to experience university life first hand.

    The Higher Education Fair will take place at Adult Education Wolverhampton’s Foyer Building, Old Hall Street, on Wednesday 21 May from 10am to 1pm with representatives of universities from across the West Midlands, Staffordshire and Worcestershire on hand to speak to visitors.

    Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work, said: “If you’ve ever wanted to go to university, but aren’t sure how you could make it happen or fear you may not have the right qualifications, please come along to Adult Education Wolverhampton’s Higher Education Fair and find out about what the region’s universities could offer you.”

    For more information, please email enquiries@aes.wolverhampton.gov.uk or call 01902 558180. 
     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: From the lab to the pub for School of Psychology research Researchers from the School of Psychology will showcase their work to the public in a series of talks and events as part of the Pint of Science festival next week.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Researchers from the School of Psychology will showcase their work to the public in a series of talks and events as part of the Pint of Science festival next week.
    Talks organised by the School of Psychology will make up more than a third of the festival’s Aberdeenshire programme, which aims to improve engagement in science and make research accessible to all.
    Kicking off the festival is the Astounding Assumptions event on 19 May at the OGV Taproom at Newburgh Golf Club, in which three talks will investigate how much our perceptions are influenced by what we expect to experience.
    Professor Constanze Hesse will discuss the size-weight illusion: when two objects weigh the same but differ in size, the smaller one feels heavier.
    Dr Martin Giesel will speak about visual illusions interpreted by the eyes, revealing how perception depends on our assumptions and prior experience.
    And Dr Helen Knight’s talk will delve into the phenomena of inattentional blindness (where we fail to notice things happening right in front of us) and change blindness (where even obvious changes go unnoticed).
    The Mind and Body event on 20 May at the OGV Taproom in Aberdeen will see University researchers explore how our memories, experiences and personal identity shape behaviour – and whether our behaviour can shape us in return.
    Dr Bert Timmermans will examine how interactions with others shape how we experience the world as well as ourselves.
    The power of the hippocampus will be the subject of Dr Janine Cooper’s talk, including how it can be impacted when damaged and how we can best look after it.
    And Dr Agnieszka Konopka will explore the benefits of language-learning and being able to speak multiple languages, with a particular focus on memory.
    Dr Doug Martin, Head of the School of Psychology, said: “We are so excited to be a part of this year’s Pint of Science event. The festival is a wonderful opportunity for us to share our world-class research with the local community and demonstrate our commitment to public engagement. Our work spans diverse areas – from language and neuroscience to memory and social interaction – and we cannot wait to share our discoveries!”
    Pint of Science is an annual event that takes place this year from 19 to 21 May. The full Aberdeenshire programme and information on how to get tickets for the talks can be found here.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI USA: A Smoky Start to Saskatchewan’s Fire Season

    Source: NASA

    Wildland fires usually begin to appear in Saskatchewan in April and May as snow melts and landscapes dry out. In mid-May 2025, however, moderate drought and strong winds exacerbated fires in the central part of the province.
    The OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on Landsat 9 captured this image (above) of smoke billowing from the Shoe fire on May 10, 2025. A wider view of the same image (below) also shows smoke from the Camp fire. The fires were burning in boreal forests in and around Narrow Hills Provincial Park. Infrared data from Landsat were overlaid on the image to help distinguish the heat signature of active fires.
    On May 12, 2025, Saskatchewan’s public safety agency reported 12 active fires across the province, half of which were contained. The park and all highways into and out of it were closed due to the fires, and officials issued several air quality alerts for the region. Saskatchewan officials have tallied 146 fires to date in 2025, nearly twice the five-year average.
    Fire activity has been intense enough to produce at least one towering chimney of smoke known as a pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) cloud. Researchers at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison confirmed the formation of  the cloud in the Camp fire’s plume on May 8.

    These fire-generated clouds are associated with extreme fire behavior that can hinder firefighting efforts and threaten communities. They can also inject large plumes of smoke into the stratosphere, where they can linger for several months, alter stratospheric circulation, and influence Earth’s radiative balance and the Antarctic ozone hole. Cloud heights at the time of the Landsat image were not high enough for the plume to qualify as a pyroCb, although the image does show signs of pyrocumulus (pyroCu) activity on May 10.
    NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI: The OpenSSL Corporation and the OpenSSL Foundation Certify Results of Technical Advisory Committee Elections

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEWARK, N.J., May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The OpenSSL Corporation and the OpenSSL Foundation certify results of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) elections. Members have been elected to advise on technical direction, architecture, and security priorities for the OpenSSL Library.

    Newly Elected Members

    The OpenSSL Corporation TAC Members

    • Academics – Nicola Tuveri (Tampere University)
    • Committers – Shane Lontis
    • Distributions – Dmitry Belyavskiy (Red Hat)
    • Individuals – Aditya Koranga
    • Large Businesses – Craig Lorentzen (Amazon)
    • Small Businesses – Paul Yang (ToneFlow)

    The OpenSSL Foundation TAC Members

    • Academics – Nicola Tuveri (Tampere University)
    • Committers – Dmitry Belyavskiy
    • Distributions – vacant
    • Individuals – Igor Ustinov
    • Large Businesses – Barry Fussell (Cisco)
    • Small Businesses – Aditya Koranga (CORAN Labs)

    Looking Ahead

    The newly elected TAC members will begin their one year terms immediately. They will work closely with the Business Advisory Committees (BACs), the Board of Directors of the OpenSSL Corporation and the OpenSSL Foundation, and the community to shape the OpenSSL Project’s future.

    For more details about the TACs members, the voting process, or the role of the Technical Advisory Committees, please visit the OpenSSL Communities website or contact us at communities@openssl.org.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Global: Viking pregnancy was deeply political – new study

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Marianne Hem Eriksen, Associate Professor of Archaeology, University of Leicester

    Britomart by Walter Crane (1900). Library of Decorative Arts, Paris

    Pregnant women wielding swords and wearing martial helmets, foetuses set to avenge their fathers – and a harsh world where not all newborns were born free or given burial.

    These are some of the realities uncovered by the first interdisciplinary study to focus on pregnancy in the Viking age, authored by myself, Kate Olley, Brad Marshall and Emma Tollefsen as part of the Body-Politics project. Despite its central role in human history, pregnancy has often been overlooked in archaeology, largely because it leaves little material trace.

    Pregnancy has perhaps been particularly overlooked in periods we mostly associate with warriors, kings and battles – such as the highly romanticised Viking age (the period from AD800 until AD1050).

    Topics such as pregnancy and childbirth have conventionally been seen as “women’s issues”, belonging to the “natural” or “private” spheres – yet we argue that questions such as “when does life begin?” are not at all natural or private, but of significant political concern, today as in the past.

    In our new study, my co-authors and I puzzle together eclectic strands of evidence in order to understand how pregnancy and the pregnant body were conceptualised at this time. By exploring such “womb politics”, it is possible to add significantly to our knowledge on gender, bodies and sexual politics in the Viking age and beyond.


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    First, we examined words and stories depicting pregnancy in Old Norse sources. Despite dating to the centuries after the Viking age, sagas and legal texts provide words and stories about childbearing that the Vikings’ immediate descendants used and circulated.

    We learned that pregnancy could be described as “bellyful”, “unlight” and “not whole”. And we gleaned an insight into the possible belief in personhood of a foetus: “A woman walking not alone.”

    Helgi and Guðrún in the Laxdæla saga, as depicted by Andreas Bloch (1898).
    Wiki Commons

    An episode in one of the sagas we looked at supports the idea that unborn children (at least high-status ones) could already be inscribed into complex systems of kinship, allies, feuds and obligations. It tells the story of a tense confrontation between the pregnant Guðrún Ósvífrsdóttir, a protagonist in the Saga of the People of Laxardal and her husband’s killer, Helgi Harðbeinsson.

    As a provocation, Helgi wipes his bloody spear on Guđrun’s clothes and over her belly. He declares: “I think that under the corner of that shawl dwells my own death.” Helgi’s prediction comes true, and the foetus grows up to avenge his father.

    Another episode, from the Saga of Erik the Red, focuses more on the agency of the mother. The heavily pregnant Freydís Eiríksdóttir is caught up in an attack by the skrælings, the Norse name for the indigenous populations of Greenland and Canada. When she cannot escape due to her pregnancy, Freydís picks up a sword, bares her breast and strikes the sword against it, scaring the assailants away.

    While sometimes regarded as an obscure literary episode in scholarship, this story may find a parallel in the second set of evidence we examined for the study: a figurine of a pregnant woman.

    This pendant, found in a tenth-century woman’s burial in Aska, Sweden, is the only known convincing depiction of pregnancy from the Viking age. It depicts a figure in female dress with the arms embracing an accentuated belly — perhaps signalling connection with the coming child. What makes this figurine especially interesting is that the pregnant woman is wearing a martial helmet.

    The figurine of a pregnant woman that was analysed in the study.
    Historiska Museet, CC BY-ND

    Taken together, these strands of evidence show that pregnant women could, at least in art and stories, be engaged with violence and weapons. These were not passive bodies. Together with recent studies of Viking women buried as warriors, this provokes further thought to how we envisage gender roles in the oft-perceived hyper-masculine Viking societies.

    Missing children and pregnancy as a defect

    A final strand of investigation was to look for evidence for obstetric deaths in the Viking burial record. Maternal-infant death rates are thought to be very high in most pre-industrial societies. Yet, we found that among thousands of Viking graves, only 14 possible mother-infant burials are reported.

    Consequently, we suggest that pregnant women who died weren’t routinely buried with their unborn child and may not have been commemorated as one, symbiotic unity by Viking societies. In fact, we also found newborns buried with adult men and postmenopausal women, assemblages which may be family graves, but they may also be something else altogether.

    Interpretative drawing of a grave from Fjälkinge, Sweden, of an adult woman buried together with newborn placed between her thighs. Note that the legs of the woman’s body have been weighed down by a boulder.
    Matt Hitchcock / Body-Politics, CC BY-SA

    We cannot exclude that infants – underrepresented in the burial record more generally – were disposed of in death elsewhere. When they are found in graves with other bodies, it’s possible they were included as a “grave good” (objects buried with a deceased person) for other people in the grave.

    This is a stark reminder that pregnancy and infancy can be vulnerable states of transition. A final piece of evidence speaks to this point like no other. For some, like Guđrun’s little boy, gestation and birth represented a multi-staged process towards becoming a free social person.

    For people lower on the social rung, however, this may have looked very different. One of the legal texts we examined dryly informs us that when enslaved women were put up for sale, pregnancy was regarded as a defect of their bodies.

    Pregnancy was deeply political and far from uniform in meaning for Viking-age communities. It shaped – and was shaped by – ideas of social status, kinship and personhood. Our study shows that pregnancy was not invisible or private, but crucial to how Viking societies understood life, social identities and power.

    Marianne Hem Eriksen leads the BODY-POLITICS project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 949886).

    This research was also supported by The Leverhulme Trust through a Philip Leverhulme Prize awarded to Marianne Hem Eriksen (PLP-2022-285).

    ref. Viking pregnancy was deeply political – new study – https://theconversation.com/viking-pregnancy-was-deeply-political-new-study-254738

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The number of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia’s Angkor Park increased by 29 percent in the first four months of the year.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    PHNOM PENH, May 13 (Xinhua) — The number of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia’s famous Angkor archaeological park has increased significantly in the first four months of 2025, an official statement said Monday.

    A total of 36,368 Chinese tourists visited Angkor Park between January and April this year, up 29 percent from the same period last year (28,172 people), according to a report by state-owned Angkor Enterprise.

    China ranked fourth in the number of tourists visiting Angkor, behind the United States, France and Britain, the report added.

    According to the report, about 474,810 foreigners from 171 countries and regions visited the ancient park in the first four months of this year, bringing gross ticket revenue to US$22.2 million.

    With 2025 declared the Cambodia-China Year of Tourism, a significant influx of Chinese tourists to the Angkor Archaeological Park is expected, said Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Institute of International Studies and Public Policy at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

    “The growth is likely to be driven by increased bilateral cooperation, promotional campaigns and increased accessibility through direct flights and group tour packages,” he told Xinhua. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • PM Modi congratulates students on CBSE class 10 and 12 results, encourages those disappointed by scores

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated all students who successfully cleared the CBSE Class 10 and 12 Board Examinations, lauding their determination, discipline, and hard work.

    In a message shared on the social media platform X, the Prime Minister wrote,

    “Heartiest congratulations to everyone who has cleared the CBSE Class XII and X examinations! This is the outcome of your determination, discipline and hard work. Today is also a day to acknowledge the role played by parents, teachers, and all others who have contributed to this feat.”

    Extending his best wishes to the students, whom he affectionately refers to as ‘Exam Warriors’, the Prime Minister said,

    “Wishing Exam Warriors great success in all the opportunities that lie ahead!”

    Addressing students who may be disheartened by their scores, Modi offered words of reassurance and encouragement:

    “To those who feel slightly dejected at their scores, I want to tell them: one exam can never define you. Your journey is much bigger, and your strengths go far beyond the mark sheet. Stay confident, stay curious because great things await.”

    The CBSE declared the Class 12 and 10 results earlier in the day, with a pass percentage of 88.39% and 93.66% respectively. Over 42 lakh students appeared for the board exams held between February and April this year.

  • CAR-T cell therapy linked to mild ‘brain fog’, stanford study finds

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    While CAR-T cell therapy has shown promise in treating cancer, it may also lead to side effects such as “brain fog,” which includes forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating, according to a new study.
     
    CAR-T cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy in which a patient’s immune cells—T cells—are genetically engineered and infused back into the bloodstream to help recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
     
    The study, led by a team from Stanford University and published in the journal Cell, revealed that CAR-T cell therapy can cause mild cognitive impairments, independent of other cancer treatments.
     
    Notably, the underlying mechanism appears to be the same as that seen in cognitive impairments caused by chemotherapy and respiratory infections such as influenza and COVID-19.
     
    “CAR-T cell therapy is enormously promising. We are seeing long-term survivors after CAR-T cell treatment for aggressive cancers—patients who would otherwise not have survived,” said Michelle Monje, Professor of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at Stanford Medicine.
     
    “But we need to understand all its potential long-term effects, including this newly recognised syndrome of immunotherapy-related cognitive impairment, so we can develop treatments to address it,” Monje added.
     
    In the study, researchers induced tumours in mice—in the brain, blood, skin, and bone—to examine how tumor location and the immune response triggered by CAR-T cells influenced cognition.
     
    Standard cognitive tests, including object recognition and maze navigation, were used to evaluate the mice before and after treatment.
     
    The findings showed that mild cognitive impairment occurred in mice with cancers located inside the brain, spreading to the brain, and even in those with tumors completely outside the brain. The only group that did not show cognitive issues were mice with bone cancer that caused minimal inflammation beyond the immune activity of the CAR-T cells.
     
    The researchers identified the brain’s immune cells, called microglia, as central to this side effect.
     
    Importantly, the study also proposed strategies to reverse these cognitive effects. The researchers said medications targeting brain fog could support better recovery for patients undergoing cancer immunotherapies.
     
    —IANS
  • MIL-Evening Report: Sussan Ley makes history, but faces unprecedented levels of difficulty

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University

    As if by visual metaphor, Sussan Ley’s task seemed both obvious and impossible in her first press conference as the new Liberal leader.

    Three years ago this month, Ley had done something uncannily similar to what Ted O’Brien was doing now. Then, it had been her standing next to Peter Dutton as his dutiful deputy. The freshly installed pair talked a big game about the contest ahead, assured of the urgency of their mission and the potency of their message.

    Ley had enthusiastically supported Dutton’s leadership. But now in 2025, it was Ley fronting the press, this time as the new leader following the catastrophic rejection of that Dutton-Ley project, the Liberal Party’s worst ever defeat.

    It was the inexperienced O’Brien at her side, newly elected as her bright-eyed second in command.

    Policy rethink?

    Sharpening the metaphor, it had been O’Brien who had acted as chief design architect and salesperson for one of the Coalition’s most expensive yet unloved policies in the May 2025 election – nuclear power stations, government built and operated.

    Back in 2022, Dutton’s task had seemed difficult, but success was far from unimaginable as he faced a new Labor government elected with a record-low primary vote and a tiny two-seat majority.

    Ley’s degree of difficulty three years hence is some orders of magnitude greater, not least because of O’Brien’s nuclear energy policy – which will be high on the list of policies to be reviewed, and presumably ditched, if a Liberal recovery is to occur.

    Stripping away unhelpful policy that is nonetheless beloved in sections of the party’s conservative and right wing base, is a threshold challenge for Ley – one of a panoply of traps and trying circumstances she confronts.

    Ley’s challenges

    First, there’s the simple maths given the Coalition now trails the Labor Party by a staggering 50-plus seats.

    Few observers think the Coalition can seriously compete for government at the 2028 election. Thus, Ley needs to keep hope alive among Liberal mps and senators, even when the prize of power seems two terms away.

    Then there’s her task of leading the Liberal Party back to the political centre-ground or as she puts it, meeting Australian voters “where they are”. This seems like politics 101. Yet she faces many internal sceptics.

    Leadership tightrope

    At 29 votes to 25, Ley’s victory against a more right-wing candidate, Angus Taylor was narrow and reportedly relied on the votes of senators whose terms end on June 30.

    In other words, even her current majority could evaporate.

    It is worth remembering that by December 2009, just two years after the Howard government ended, the Liberal Party was already on to its third opposition leader.

    Doing it her way

    So what effect will she have on the Liberal Party? In her first press conference she gave several clues.

    In contradistinction to Dutton, who avoided Parliament House press conferences and searching interviews, Ley gave a crisp three word answer when asked if she would front up to these rituals of public accountability – “yes, I will”.

    She promised to make tax reform and economic policy the “core business” of the party she leads.

    There was also a marked, if measured, departure from the bombastic declarative culture war politics of Dutton on matters like standing in front of the Aboriginal flag and welcome to country ceremonies at public events. On both, she expressed a more pragmatic acceptance:

    If it’s meaningful, if it matters, if it resonates, then it’s in the right place and as environment minister and health minister I listened carefully and participated in Welcome to Country ceremonies. If it’s done in a way that is ticking a box on a Teams meeting then I don’t think it is relevant.

    On other matters, she noted pointedly that RG Menzies had founded the party as the “Liberal” party not the conservative party, while acknowledging a breadth of alternative opinions among her parliamentary colleagues:

    Our Liberal Party reflects a range of views from all walks of life that are welcome in our party room and that is one of our great strengths.

    Ley the history-maker

    That Ley is the first ever woman to lead the federal Liberal Party will pose potential challenges.

    To pretend that gender stereotyping will play no role in any undermining by internal critics and media would be to ignore history.

    Asked about the exodus of female voters from the Coalition at the election, Ley said, “We did let women down, there is no doubt about that,” as she expressed the need for “genuine, serious” engagement:

    I want to say right here and now we need more women in our party. We need more women in the organisation, and we need more women in this party room.

    However, she pointedly stopped short of backing affirmative action quotas in the Liberal Party even as she called for more women in the parliament.

    Gaza about-face

    Perhaps the most telling “real-time” demonstration of the uneasy balance she hopes to achieve as leader of a party that has shifted markedly to the right, was when she as was asked about the Israel-Gaza question.

    As a former member of a cross party group called Parliamentary Friends of Palestine, Ley had implored parliament in 2008 to “think not of the Palestinian leadership, think of the people”.

    She had described Gaza as “besieged, contained, and on the brink of starvation” while warning that a “crushing economic embargo feeds fury and resentment” both in Gaza and the West Bank:

    Israel has many friends in this country and in this parliament. The Palestinians, by comparison, have few. Theirs is not a popular cause […] but it is one I support.

    Asked about her view now, Ley felt the need to circle back to stress her principle concern over the rising tide of antisemitism in Australia. She now says the “hideous events” of October 7 has changed her thinking on the matter.

    Gaza has given Sussan Ley an early lesson on the difficulties leaders face when it comes to straddling highly contentious issues.

    Mark Kenny does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    ref. Sussan Ley makes history, but faces unprecedented levels of difficulty – https://theconversation.com/sussan-ley-makes-history-but-faces-unprecedented-levels-of-difficulty-256336

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • CBSE class 10 results 2025 declared; girls lead once again with 95% pass rate

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    In a swift move following the declaration of Class 12 results earlier in the day, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the Class 10 Board Exam results for 2025 on Tuesday.

    This year, an impressive 93.66% of over 23 lakh students cleared the examination, which was conducted at 7,837 centres across 26,675 affiliated schools in India and abroad.

    Girls once again outshone boys, registering a pass percentage of 95%, reaffirming a consistent trend of academic excellence among female students.

    Among regions, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, and Bengaluru emerged as top performers. Delhi secured the seventh position, while Guwahati ranked lowest in terms of pass percentage.

    Students can access their results via the official CBSE websites — cbse.gov.in, cbseresults.nic.in, and results.cbse.nic.in. Results are also available on DigiLocker, the UMANG app, and through IVRS.

    To facilitate access, CBSE has sent DigiLocker credentials via SMS to students’ registered mobile numbers, enabling them to download digitally verified mark sheets and certificates.

    To view their results, students must enter their roll number, admit card ID, school code, and date of birth. A minimum of 33% marks in each subject (both theory and practical) is required to pass. Students falling just short may be awarded grace marks in line with board policy.

    Earlier in the day, CBSE released Class 12 results, with a pass percentage of 88.39%, marking a 0.41% increase over last year.

    Supplementary examinations for both Classes 10 and 12 will be held in the first or second week of July 2025, based on the same syllabus as the main exams.

    In a notable reform, CBSE has implemented a Relative Grading system from the 2024–25 academic session, replacing the previous fixed grading scale. This new system evaluates students’ performance in relation to their peers, aimed at reducing academic pressure and unhealthy competition.

    The 2025 CBSE Board Exams, held between February 15 and April 4, saw participation from over 42 lakh students. Class 10 exams concluded on March 18, while Class 12 exams ended on April 4.

    CBSE remains India’s largest school examination board and the second-largest public examination system. It offers 204 subjects across Classes 10 and 12 and operates in countries ranging from Japan to Ghana.

    (With IANS inputs)

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Congratulations to Marina Burmistrova on her new appointment!

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On May 13, Marina Burmistrova, a graduate of the State University of Management, was appointed Minister of Culture and Archives of the Komi Republic.

    Dear Marina Eduardovna! On behalf of the State University of Management, we congratulate you on your appointment to this responsible position. We are confident that your knowledge and experience will serve as a reliable foundation for the cultural prosperity of the Komi Republic. We hope that we will continue to see you often within the walls of your native university. We wish you interesting challenges, a loyal team, and successful project implementation!

    Marina Burmistrova graduated from the Russian State Social University in 2008 with a degree in Social Pedagogy. In 2009, she completed professional retraining in the Organization Management and Entrepreneurship programs at the State University of Management. From 2019 to 2021, she improved her knowledge in courses at various educational institutions. In 2023, she graduated from the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at the Moscow State University of Management named after Yu. M. Luzhkov.

    From 2007 to 2016, she worked in the corporate sector; in 2016, she moved to work in the cultural sphere of Moscow, where she rose from the head of a club formation to the general director of the Association of Cultural Centers of the North-Eastern Administrative District of Moscow (55 addresses, more than 500 people on staff).

    In addition to her main job, Marina Burmistrova teaches at the Moscow State University of Management, is a member of the Eurasian Women’s Forum under the Federation Council, acts as an expert at major cultural events (book fairs, forums, festivals), participates in the work of university examination committees, including being the chairperson of the state examination committee for the defense of master’s theses at the Department of Public and Municipal Administration at the State University of Management.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 05/13/2025

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dialogue between Science and Business: Polytechnic and Rostelecom Discuss IT Development

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    Representatives of Rostelecom visited the Polytechnic University: Deputy President and Chairman of the Board Darius Khalitov, Advisor to the President Alexey Sergeev, Director of the North-West Macroregional Branch Alexander Loginov and Deputy General Director of RTK IT Roman Khazeev.

    The guests were met by the Advisor to the Rector’s Office of SPbPU Vladimir Glukhov, Vice-Rector for Information Technology Andrey Lyamin, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies Maxim Pasholikov and Head of the Public Relations Department Marianna Dyakova.

    At the Technopolis Polytech research building, the Rostelecom delegation visited the Supercomputer Center and met with university scientists engaged in developments in the field of computer and AL technologies.

    At the meeting, the Director of the Institute of Computer Science and Cybersecurity Dmitry Zegzhda presented the institute’s capabilities in training personnel for the industry and conducting research in the interests of industrial partners. The head of the ICSSC noted that knowledge of information technology is necessary for representatives of all professions today. All specialties of the institute, where more than 4.5 thousand students study, are in demand, on average, the competition is 30 people per place. In its development strategy, the institute is focused on interaction with industry and the public sector, continuity of education and interdisciplinarity, opening laboratories and centers of end-to-end information technology.

    Lev Utkin, Chief Researcher at the Higher School of Artificial Intelligence Technologies, spoke about research and developments used, for example, to diagnose diseases, and about the use of predictive analytics and explanatory intelligence both in medicine and in solving various production problems. Vladimir Mulyukha, Director of the Higher School of Artificial Intelligence Technologies, recalled joint projects with Rostelecom and outlined opportunities for expanding cooperation.

    In his response, Rostelecom Deputy President Darius Khalitov noted that the company can cooperate with Polytech in training personnel, using new technologies in the field of AI and in the expert assessment of Polytech scientists. Darius Ravilevich was especially interested in technologies using predictive analytics, which are based on the institute’s own neural networks based on the LLM model of learning on concepts.

    I found the programs in the field of artificial intelligence and cyberpsychology very promising, I have not seen anything like that anywhere else. In a sense, IT is becoming a cross-cutting discipline that will permeate applied areas, and there will be many reasons for cooperation, – summed up Darii Khalitov.

    Then Rostelecom representatives visited the Youth Trajectory Center “Polytech Tower”, where they met with the student team “Omnivorous” – the bronze prize winner of the international championship “Battle of Robots”. The conversation turned out to be very informative and productive, because Rostelecom is the sponsor of our team, and they have something to discuss with the guys. In particular, they talked about the possibility of creating their own track for training, so as not to go to Moscow every time for this with a 110-kilogram robot.

    At the end of the visit, Darii Khalitov became a guest of the live broadcast of the Lepota project in the Polytechnic TV studio. The broadcast was dedicated to Radio Day, which is celebrated on May 7, because it was the invention of radio that became, as they say now, a breakthrough into the world of unlimited possibilities for the development of information transmission technologies. Today it is already digital technologies, tomorrow – artificial intelligence, and the day after tomorrow…

    So, answering a question from one of the viewers How do new communication technologies affect the security of users’ personal data? Darius Khalitov said: In the flow of information in which we exist, one of the trends of telecommunications companies is cyber privacy. For us, citizens who use digital services every day, cyber privacy in 10-15 years will become, in a sense, a luxury for which we will be willing to pay. More and more services will appear that allow you to limit the distribution or receipt of information.

    To the question “Is it possible for a global communications provider to emerge?” the guest on the air answered that given the current excess of information, a hybrid between distributed data storage technologies and centralized management would be appropriate in the future. “You can’t concentrate everything in one place,” the expert explained. “Communications are the information bread of the 21st century, and the first thing we do when we wake up is watch the news on our phone, and only then do we go to breakfast. Therefore, access to information is already a critical infrastructure. And it must be fault-tolerant.”

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  • Draupadi Murmu pays floral tributes to Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed on his birth anniversary

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    President of India, Droupadi Murmu, paid floral tributes to former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed on the occasion of his 121st birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday.

    Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed served as the fifth President of India from August 24, 1974, until his untimely demise on February 11, 1977. He was the second President of India to die in office, after Dr. Zakir Husain.

    Born in 1905, Ahmed pursued his education in Delhi and later at the University of Cambridge. He was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple, London. Upon returning to India, he practiced law in Lahore and subsequently in Guwahati.

    A committed freedom fighter, Ahmed actively participated in the Quit India Movement of 1942 against British colonial rule. He later held several key positions in independent India and became a trusted associate of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

    During his presidency, he signed the proclamation of Emergency in 1975 following a meeting with Prime Minister Gandhi, one of the most significant and controversial moments in India’s constitutional history.

    President Murmu’s tribute today served as a reminder of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed’s contributions to India’s legal, political, and freedom movements.

    (With inputs from agencies)

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Moscow schoolchildren learn about admission to pre-professional classes at open day

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    On May 17, Moscow schools will host the first open day, “Enroll in pre-professional!” Ninth-graders and their parents will be able to learn about six areas of pre-professional classes — from engineering to media classes, about the admission conditions and the educational route “school — college — university — industrial partner.” This was reported by Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development.

    “We strive to ensure that every child can receive not only deep knowledge but also their first practical skills in high school. Studying in pre-professional classes provides many opportunities – from excursions to the sites of Moscow enterprises to working on projects and research in the country’s leading universities. Thus, schoolchildren undergo comprehensive training based on the principle of “school – college – university – industrial partner”. This approach has already proven its effectiveness: it helps Moscow high school students not only make a more conscious choice of profession, but also get high results on exams. About a quarter of all 100-point students are graduates of pre-professional classes. On May 17, we will hold an open day for the first time so that ninth-graders and their parents can learn about the advantages of this format of education, see modern educational spaces, including medical, engineering and IT laboratories,” noted Anastasia Rakova.

    More than a third of the capital’s high school students study in engineering, medical, psychological and pedagogical, entrepreneurial, IT and media classes. This is about 44 thousand schoolchildren.

    To attend an open day, students and parents need to choose a venue and register on the project website. Participants will be told about the training programs in pre-professional classes and schools where they are open. The children will hear stories of successful graduates, learn what subjects they will study in depth and what they will learn in special courses, what enterprises offer excursions and what professions they can get in college without interrupting their studies in the 10th grade.

    Thus, in medical classes they study anatomy and physiology, learn patient care and first aid. In engineering classes they get acquainted with modern production technologies, study technical drawing and control of drones. In IT classes they learn to program, configure personal computers and work safely on the Internet. In media classes they immerse themselves in different genres of journalism and media communications, try themselves in photography, video shooting or graphic design, and in entrepreneurial classes they develop their own business projects and learn to consult on banking products.

    Today, pre-professional classes are open in 70 percent of Moscow schools. Education in them is combined with a large-scale career guidance program that helps high school students choose their future profession, get acquainted with the industry of interest, and prepare for admission to a university in a certain field. You can learn more about pre-professional education on the website “School.Moscow”, as well as in the telegram channel “Mospredprof”.

    Education in pre-vocational classes promotes early career guidance for schoolchildren and is consistent with the objectives of the national project “Youth and Children”.

    Get the latest news quickly official telegram channel the city of Moscow.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Rescue, training, volunteering: how Moscow student rescuers help people

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The Moscow City Branch of the All-Russian Student Rescue Corps (MGO VSKS) is one of the largest in the country. Students of the capital’s universities have been helping to maintain public safety since 2001. The branch includes more than 400 volunteers from 19 units of higher and secondary vocational educational institutions.

    “Each volunteer is not just a volunteer, but a qualified assistant to rescue services, ready to act in the most difficult situations. He can participate in humanitarian missions, support military personnel, and most importantly, carry out ongoing work to improve the safety of city residents. MGO VSKS is an example of responsibility and unity,” said

    Ekaterina Dragunova, Chairman of the capital’s Committee for Public Relations and Youth Policy.

    School of Goodness and Safety

    All Moscow student rescuers are trained to provide qualified assistance to special services. Young volunteers take an active part in humanitarian missions and support servicemen in the special military operation (SVO) zone. In addition, they regularly conduct informational and preventive work with residents of the capital.

    Volunteers undergo professional training, acquiring the skills of rescuers, first aid instructors, industrial climbers and rescue sailors. Students conduct various events, open lessons and master classes in Moscow for residents and guests of the capital on behavior in emergency situations and first aid.

    The Moscow City Branch of the All-Russian Student Rescue Corps includes nine school rescue teams. Its instructors train children in fire and rescue disciplines on a regular basis.

    Trainees from various regions of Russia, including the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, are trained at the headquarters of the MGO VSKS. In 2024, 122 volunteers from other regions were trained here.

    The Moscow city branch of VSKS is rapidly developing, popularizing the culture of safety among Muscovites and involving people in volunteer activities during emergencies. The organization is becoming increasingly important in the sphere of ensuring security in the capital, forming a personnel reserve for responding to challenges.

    The main areas of its work remain raising the level of citizens’ life safety culture, participation in the elimination of emergency situations and their consequences, training volunteers for this, organizing humanitarian missions, ensuring security at mass events of various levels, as well as organizing and conducting emergency recovery operations.

    Professionalism and dedication

    In 2024–2025, volunteers took part in such work in the Donetsk People’s Republic, as well as in humanitarian missions to the cities of Kursk, Belgorod, Rostov-on-Don, and Toropets. They delivered humanitarian aid as part of the State University of Management’s “GUU-SVOim” project, participated in the liquidation of the consequences of an oil spill in the city of Anapa, and made trench candles and camouflage nets for servicemen participating in the SVO.

    Recently, the capital’s volunteer rescuers and volunteers of the ANO “Center “Pomoshch”” returned from the Kirzhach district of the Vladimir region, where they helped residents affected by the fire. They were engaged in emergency recovery work and landscaping of the territory. In parallel with this, students at the humanitarian headquarters sorted humanitarian aid in order to quickly deliver necessary things and food to people.

    “Volunteer rescuers from Moscow worked shoulder to shoulder with the local branch of VSKS, rescuers and volunteers. We know how important every trained pair of hands is in such a situation. The volunteers who provided assistance have the necessary skills and experience in emergency situations. Moscow volunteers promptly delivered humanitarian aid and transported volunteer rescuers. Logistics was organized in such a way as to use the available resources as efficiently as possible,” said Maxim Dzhetygenov, deputy of the Moscow City Duma and head of the Moscow city branch of VSKS.

    Sergei Sobyanin spoke about the development of volunteer activities in MoscowCreative and patriotic camps have been prepared for Moscow youth

    Detailed information about the activities of the Moscow City Branch of VSKS can be found in the community “VKontakte”. His work is supported by the “Youth of Moscow” project of the city Committee on Public Relations and Youth Policy. You can find out about the opportunities for young Muscovites in the capital on the portal project, as well as on its pages in social networks.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channel the city of Moscow.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: The first student career forum was held at IPMET

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The student body of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade of SPbPU held a large-scale career event — the forum “IPMEiT Career: Step into the Future”. As part of a single career day, participants had the opportunity to attend lectures on professional development issues, as well as take part in interactive sessions aimed at developing and improving career skills. More than 200 students took part in the event.

    The program of the event was designed in such a way that students not only gained new knowledge, but also really got closer to their career dreams – be it their first internship or a conscious choice of a professional path.

    The forum began with a welcoming speech by the Director of IPMEiT Vladimir Shchepinin: Today’s forum is not only a platform for interaction between employers and students, but also an important step towards the professional development of future IPMEiT graduates. Our students are active, enthusiastic, and serious about choosing their future profession. They are ready for new challenges and opportunities. I wish everyone productive work, useful contacts, and inspiration for new achievements! Employers should find the best of the best, and participants should do everything to ensure that this day remains in their memory forever!

    Immediately after the opening, a job fair began, in which 20 partner companies took part. Among them: VTB Bank, Kept, P

    During the lecture by Changellenge, students learned about the key aspects of effective resume writing, learned about employers’ requirements for young professionals, and also analyzed the most common questions asked during interviews. The career block of the forum also included a case game in the format of “Case Thursday”, organized by the student association “Case Club SPbPU” together with Nikoliers. Participants were asked to solve a practical problem related to the analysis of the real estate market. Working in teams, they presented their solutions and received professional feedback from experts.

    In the educational block of the forum, students listened to a lecture on financial topics from the company “Trust Technologies”, learned about key professions in the field of finance and received practical recommendations on starting a career in this area. And at the master class of the company ESI Logistics

    “IPMET hosts quite a large number of thematic career events every year, but there has never been a global event that would unite the entire institute around career opportunities,” said Anastasia Nikitina, Chair of PROF.IPMET and the main organizer of the forum. “We tried to make the event based on the requests and wishes of students. At first, the idea seemed difficult to implement, but thanks to cooperation with the institute’s management and higher schools, after a month of active preparation, my team and I were able to help IPMET students take a small but very important step towards their careers and future.”

    The IPMET Career: Step into the Future forum has become a great start for the institute’s new tradition. The organizers are already full of inspiration for the next season and invite everyone to take another confident step towards new horizons!

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Case Championship at the Polytechnic: Young Engineers Solved Nuclear Power Problems

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The final of the case championship dedicated to a significant date — the 80th anniversary of the Russian nuclear industry — was held at the Higher School of Nuclear and Thermal Energy of SPbPU. The event was organized by the scientific and technical department of Rosatom Polytechnic students with the support of Atomenergoproekt.

    This year, participants were offered a technical case based on real engineering tasks that specialists in the field of designing nuclear power plants work with. Atomenergoproekt experts developed a task that required deep knowledge of heat engineering, safety systems, and analysis of design solutions.

    Students had to complete the following tasks:

    to develop a set of criteria for comparative evaluation of passive heat removal systems in two nuclear power unit projects – V-392M and V-491; to justify the choice of suitable parameters for assessing efficiency and reliability; to apply engineering methods and software for analysis; to present a technically competent, logically coherent and justified solution.

    The teams had to demonstrate not only theoretical knowledge, but also the ability to think like an engineer, perform critical analysis, work with regulatory documentation and open sources.

    Six teams from Polytechnic University and other universities worked hard on the case for a week. The final stage — defense of solutions — became the culmination of the championship. Participants presented their approaches, conclusions and justifications to a professional jury.

    The work was assessed by leading specialists of Atomenergoproekt: 2nd category design engineer Alexander Moloskin, laboratory head Alexander Anishchenko and chief expert Andrey Mitryukhin. The jury also included experts from the Institute of Power Engineering – Director of the Higher School of Nuclear and Thermal Energy Alexander Kalyutik and Associate Professor of the Higher School of Atomic and Thermal Energy Irina Paramonova. The judges noted the difficult choice of winners.

    The teams demonstrated a good level of preparation. Some decisions were unexpected for us, which makes this format of interaction even more valuable. I hope we will be able to consolidate the practice of such championships in the future, – said Alexander Moloskin.

    The winner of the case championship was the team “MeV” (3rd year, SPbPU). The second place was taken by the team “Obe gulls” (4th year, SPbPU). The third place was taken by the team VaultBoyFanClub (1st year SPbPU and the Admiral S. O. Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping).

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Interaction between Polytechnic University and Russian-Armenian University: Digest of Events

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade of SPbPU and the Institute of Economics and Business of the Russian-Armenian University (RAU) have joined forces to conduct annual International Student Scientific Conference. This event, continuing the tradition cooperation, has become an important platform for discussing current scientific research by young people and strengthening academic ties between universities.

    On the first day of the conference, participants of the Higher School of Industrial Management (HSIM) of IPMEiT, together with the Department of Management and Business of the Russian Agrarian University, discussed interdisciplinary research issues covering such areas as management in conditions of uncertainty, sustainable urban development, digital marketing and logistics in business, and problems of decarbonization in industry.

    The participants were addressed with welcoming speeches by the Director of the Higher School of Industrial Management Olga Kalinina, the Head of the Department of Management and Business of the Russian Agrarian University Arzik Suvaryan and the Deputy Director for Research Work of Students of the Institute of Industrial Management and Technology Svetlana Shirokova.

    Arzik Suvaryan expressed confidence in the need to strengthen cooperation: We see how these events inspire students and teachers to new scientific achievements. I am sure that next year we will again surprise the participants with new achievements.

    The conference became a real platform for generating ideas. We were able not only to present our research, but also to receive valuable recommendations from colleagues. The discussion on the application of qualimetric models in risk management of real estate construction in the mountainous areas of the Republic of Armenia was especially useful, – shared his impressions 4th-year student of the HSE “Construction Management” program Artem Androsov.

    The Higher School of Public Administration (HSPA) of IPMEiT held a section on “Public Administration and Economic Security” jointly with the Department of Economics and Finance of the Russian-Armenian University. Participants discussed topics such as improving public administration in the field of environmental education, the impact of economic crime on regional security, as well as the balance of socio-economic development of regions and issues of IT audit and digital currencies.

    The speakers presented the results of their research, and we were able to discuss current topics in the field of public administration and economic security. The discussion on the influence of the shadow economy and environmental education was especially interesting, commented HSSU postgraduate student Natalia Kulkaeva.

    The section “Sustainable Development of Socioeconomic Systems in the Context of Digitalization”, organized by the Higher School of Engineering and Economics (HSE), featured more than fifteen scientific reports on the digitalization of the economy, innovative development of regions, greening of industry, as well as the introduction of digital solutions in logistics, trade and small business. Particular attention was drawn to the presentations of students, which examined the prospects for international trade, the internationalization of the yuan, cooperation between Russia and China, as well as the strategy for sustainable development of Egypt until 2030.

    The conference gave me inspiration and new ideas. It was very interesting to hear the presentations of colleagues and discuss current topics in economics. I recommend it to everyone! – noted VIES student Dong Yiqun, studying in the program “World Economy and International Economic Relations”.

    As part of the international annual student scientific conference of the Russian-Armenian University, Associate Professor of the Higher Engineering Physics School of SPbPU Maxim Vinnichenko gave a plenary report to postgraduate students, students and, importantly, schoolchildren of the RAU.

    In his report, he emphasized: By measuring the intensity of light passing through a sample, we can obtain important information about its optical properties. In this way, we can diagnose a wide variety of materials – both solids and liquids, including biological media such as blood or saliva. For example, studies have been conducted to determine the presence of COVID-19 by spectral characteristics. This is a clear example of the connection between science and medicine.

    The associate professor also noted that laser radiation can be used, for example, to assess blood flow velocity.

    In some areas of the body where there are no bones and the skin is thin enough – for example, on the wrist or palm – you can illuminate it with a powerful green or red laser and visually observe how much light passes through the tissue. This data allows you to roughly estimate the speed of blood flow in the veins, – said Vynnychenko.

    Also, at the site of the Armenian University, Maxim Vinnichenko held open lectures on the course “Optical properties of semiconductors and nanostructures”, which were listened to with great interest by senior and postgraduate students of the RAU in the field of “Electronics and Nanoelectronics”.

    Colleagues from RAU highly appreciated the quality of the students’ reports and came up with an initiative to develop cooperation aimed at popularizing science among students, publishing articles and holding joint youth events and conferences on a regular basis.

    The best reports were awarded with certificates of participation, and all submitted articles will be published in the conference collection. The joint conference of SPbPU and RAU continues to prove that science is not only research, but also a dialogue that unites minds and cultures for the sake of the future.

    Polytechnics also took part in the International scientific and practical conference “Current issues of personality psychology: identity and adaptation”. SPbPU was represented by the director of the Higher School of Social Sciences Anastasia Lisenkova, associate professor of the Higher School of Linguistics and Pedagogy Lyudmila Luchsheva, head of the educational and project art laboratory “ArtPolyLab” of the State Institute of Geography Maria Kukushkina.

    Anastasia Lisenkova presented a report entitled “Liquid Privacy: Forced Publicity of Digital Identity”, where she revealed the features of the digital era and their impact on self-identification. Lyudmila Luchsheva presented a report entitled “Dynamics of Attitudes and Motivation of Teachers’ Professional Activity”. Maria Kukushkina presented a study entitled “The Structure of Social Representations of Kindergarten Directors on the Psychological Safety of the Educational Environment”, emphasizing the role of management decisions in creating a comfortable environment for children, and held a master class entitled “My Professional Path” dedicated to career trajectories in psychology and pedagogy.

    Participation in the conference allowed us to exchange experiences in conducting current research and to outline new areas of cooperation in the fields of psychology, sociology and other humanities.

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  • MIL-Evening Report: View from The Hill: Ley says Liberals must ‘meet the people where they are’, but how can a divided party do that?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Cynics point out that when a party turns to a woman leader, it is often handing her a hot mess. That’s certainly so with the federal Liberals, now choosing their first female leader in eight decades.

    For the Liberals, and for Sussan Ley, 63, this is a bittersweet milestone. The odds are overwhelmingly against her chances of taking the Liberals from opposition to government.

    Given Labor’s massive majority, it will be virtually impossible for the Liberals to regain office in under two terms (when Ley would be in her late 60s). The way these things go, there’s likely to be more than one opposition leader in the next half dozen years.

    Most immediately, Ley has to put the meagre talent pool available to best use. This is not just fitting the right people into the right spots but containing ambitions and discontents.

    Peter Dutton didn’t have to look over his shoulder in three years. Ley will be constantly glancing behind. Given the closeness of the vote, and his personality, Angus Taylor is unlikely to regard the result as closing the book. But for the moment, he said on Tuesday, “We must unify […] I will contribute the best way I can to help get us back in the fight.”

    Jacinta Price, after defecting from the Nationals in a bid to become deputy to Taylor, has had her hopes of dramatic advancement dashed. In the end, she didn’t even contest the deputyship. She said later she was “disappointed” Taylor was not elected. Talked up by the conservative base, she may also find her new Liberal kennel more flea-ridden than her previous fairly-comfy Nationals one. Certainly Price, used to running her own race, will require careful management. She told Sky on Tuesday night she looked forward to “robust debate” in the party room.

    Over coming days, there’ll be the opposition’s pain-filled policy overhaul. The nearly evenly divided leadership vote (29-25), in which the moderates supported Ley and the conservatives backed Taylor, highlights differences over policy.

    A large cloud hangs over the controversial nuclear policy. Some will want to ditch it entirely; others will argue it should be recalibrated. A complication is that Ted O’Brien, the new deputy, was its main architect.

    More seriously, the commitment to net zero emissions reduction by 2050 will be on the table.

    Ley told her joint news conference with O’Brien: “There won’t be a climate war. There will be sound and sensible consultation”. That sounds like wishful thinking. It certainly goes against the Coalition’s history.

    While there are some Liberal critics of net zero, this is particularly a debate for the Nationals, among whom there will be a strong push to ditch the commitment.

    Within the Coalition, the Nationals will have greater clout because they held almost all their seats. What they do on climate policy will substantially affect the joint party room. But will there be pressure to break the Coalition?

    Especially challenging for Ley – and at present looking almost impossible – is how the Liberals manage to appeal to two vital constituencies, women and younger voters. Many professional women in what were once solid Liberal areas have gone off to the teals. The under-50s have comprehensively rejected the Liberals.

    Ley said: “We have to have a Liberal Party that respects modern Australia, that reflects modern Australia, and represents modern Australia. And we have to meet the people where they are.”

    That’s exactly right, if the Liberal Party is to be successful. But the reality is that the party, as things stand, appears incapable of “meeting the people where they are.”
    The fundamental problem is that these constituencies – younger voters and women – are increasingly progressive in their politics, but the Liberals are not.

    It’s not as if Ley, when deputy leader, didn’t make an effort with women. After the 2022 election, she embarked on a “women’s listening tour”. But such efforts didn’t work, and the Liberals then further alienated women with the working-from-home debacle..

    Pitching to women in future will require the Liberals to consider whether they should swallow their objection to quotas for female candidates – and that will encounter fierce resistance.

    The Liberals need to thread the needle between the so-called “leafy” urban areas they must win back and the outer suburbs that Dutton thought, wrongly, could take him to power.

    Ley is a centrist and a pragmatist. She told her news conference she believed government “is ultimately formed in a sensible centre”.

    She will probably be able to navigate issues such as “welcome to country” and the flag better than Dutton, and she said that at the Liberal Party meeting “I committed to my colleagues that there would be no captain’s calls”.

    She has changed her views on issues, ranging from her previously strong support for the Palestinians (she was in the parliamentary friends of Palestine) to her opposition to the live sheep trade (she had a private member’s bill in 2018 restricting these exports).

    A massive problem Ley will confront is the weak and in parts feral Liberal organisation, which is a federation of states. Variously, these divisions are riven by factionalism, depleted, and incompetent, or all of those. In contrast, Labor excels in its ground game at elections. Ley won’t be able to drive the needed reform, and the party lacks the strong figures in the organisation to do so.

    Few people want to join political parties these days, and when a party is on the ropes, the traffic is the other way. This gives the ideologues and factional players even more power over candidate selection, often with bad outcomes.

    Adding to their organisational challenges, the Liberals will also have to find a new federal director, with Andrew Hirst, who has been in the post since 2017, expected to move on.

    When Ley was young she put an extra “s” in her name. She describes it as a joke in her rebellious youth. She told journalist Kate Legge in 2015, “I read about this numerology theory that if you add the numbers that match the letters in your name you can change your personality. I worked out that if you added an “s” I would have an incredibly exciting, interesting life and nothing would ever be boring.“

    However it turns out, her time as opposition leader won’t be boring.

    Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    ref. View from The Hill: Ley says Liberals must ‘meet the people where they are’, but how can a divided party do that? – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-ley-says-liberals-must-meet-the-people-where-they-are-but-how-can-a-divided-party-do-that-256460

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Robert Aderholt Announces Staff Additions in Washington Office

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04)

    Washington, D.C. — Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) today announced a staff promotion and two new additions to his Washington, D.C. office: Stone Griffin has been promoted to Policy Analyst, Lucy Allen will join as Press Assistant, and Sam Chance is now serving as Staff Assistant.

    “Each of these individuals brings unique experience, energy, and a heart for service that reflects the values of Alabama’s Fourth District,” said Congressman Aderholt. “I’m proud to welcome Lucy and Sam to our team and to see Stone continue to grow in his new role.”

    Stone Griffin, a native of Winchester, Virginia and graduate of the University of Virginia, previously served as Staff Assistant in Congressman Aderholt’s office. His prior experience includes working for Representatives Greg Pence and Jen Kiggans.

    “It’s an honor to continue serving Congressman Aderholt and our constituents in this new capacity,” said Griffin. 

    Lucy Allen, originally from Florence, Alabama, will officially join the office as Press Assistant following her graduation from Auburn University in May, where she is completing a degree in Public Relations. She previously interned in Congressman Aderholt’s Washington office, where she gained firsthand experience with legislative operations, constituent communications, and Capitol tours.

    “I am grateful to be joining Congressman Aderholt’s staff,” said Allen. “Starting as an intern last summer and now being part of the team full-time feels really special. Everyone on staff is hardworking and passionate, and I’m excited to learn from them while serving the district I grew up in.”

    Sam Chance, a native of Arab, Alabama and graduate of Samford University, joins the office as Staff Assistant. He brings experience from both legal and nonprofit sectors, including roles at Heninger Garrison Davis, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and Pine Cove Ranch. At Samford, he served on the Student Judiciary Council and graduated cum laude with a degree in Business Administration.

    “Being in this office has already been such a blessing,” said Chance. “I have seen firsthand how our staff consistently goes above and beyond, and I am excited to learn from them. I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to serve my home district.”

    These additions reflect Congressman Aderholt’s continued commitment to building a team that provides responsive, thoughtful service to the people of Alabama’s Fourth District.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • CBSE class 12 results declared: 88.39% students pass, girls outperform boys once again

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the results for the Class 12 examinations on Tuesday, with a pass percentage of 88.39%, marking a marginal increase of 0.41% over last year.

    Girls once again outshone boys, recording a pass percentage of 91%, which is 5.94% higher than that of boys. The CBSE shared the official results and detailed statistics in a press release.

    This year, over 16 lakh students appeared for the Class 12 examinations, which were conducted from February 15 to April 4. Of these, more than 14 lakh students passed.

    Among all regions, Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) registered the highest pass percentage at 99.60%, while Prayagraj recorded the lowest, with around 80% students clearing the exam.

    The Class 10 exams concluded earlier on March 18, while both Class 10 and 12 exams were conducted daily from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM across 7,842 centres in India and 26 centres abroad. CBSE had implemented stringent measures to ensure the integrity and smooth conduct of the examinations.

    To maintain discipline at exam centres, CBSE mandated school uniforms for regular students and light-coloured attire for private candidates. Students were required to arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled time and read the question paper instructions carefully before attempting answers.

    The board also issued a list of prohibited items inside the exam hall, including mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, earphones, smartwatches, cameras, wallets, handbags, goggles, pouches, and unauthorized study materials. Food and beverages were not allowed, except for diabetic students with prior approval.

    To ease the travel burden on examination days, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), in coordination with CISF, offered special facilitation measures. Students were given priority during frisking and ticketing, and additional staff were deployed at metro stations to assist during peak hours.

    (With ANI inputs)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schneider Leads Bipartisan Bill Seeking to Anchor Eastern Mediterranean in U.S. Foreign Policy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

    Eastern Mediterranean Gateway Act strengthens regional integration through energy, infrastructure, and multilateral cooperation.

    WASHINGTON – Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), joined by Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Dina Titus (NV-1) and Chris Pappas (NH-1), introduced the Eastern Mediterranean Gateway Act to bolster the region’s role as a strategic link between India, the Middle East, and Europe.

    “The Eastern Mediterranean is emerging as a central hub for energy and infrastructure connecting Europe, the Middle East, and India,” said Rep. Schneider. “This bipartisan bill ensures U.S. diplomacy keeps pace with that transformation, strengthening our partnerships with Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt and supporting efforts like IMEC that deepen regional integration.”

    “Supporting a U.S.-India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is pivotal for enhancing energy security, fostering economic integration, and strengthening defense cooperation across these regions,” said Rep. Bilirakis. “This corridor aims to diversify energy routes, reducing reliance on traditional pathways and mitigating vulnerabilities in global energy supply chains. By connecting the United States, India, the Middle East, and Europe through railways, ports, and digital infrastructure, the IMEC will facilitate more efficient trade and investment, promoting economic growth and resilience. Additionally, the corridor serves as a strategic countermeasure to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, offering an alternative model of transparent and sustainable development. Through this initiative, the U.S. can reinforce its partnerships, promote regional stability, and counterbalance the influence of strategic competitors.” 

    “Supporting the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is crucial to securing American interests abroad,” said Rep. Titus. “By investing in the Eastern Mediterranean and recognizing it as a critical part of IMEC, we will be strengthening our energy security and defense cooperation in the region.”

    The bill reinforces U.S. support for the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and regional initiatives including the 3+1 dialogue with Greece, Israel, and Cyprus and the East Mediterranean Gas Forum. It calls for:

    • Elevating the Eastern Mediterranean in U.S. foreign policy;
    • Institutionalizing strategic dialogues with IMEC and regional partners;
    • Supporting cross-border infrastructure projects and energy interconnectors;
    • Studying the expansion of U.S.–Israel innovation programs to the broader region;
    • Evaluating multilateral models like Cyprus’s CYCLOPS center for regional coordination.

    The legislation builds on bipartisan support for deeper regional integration, grounded in shared interests in energy security, economic connectivity, and long-term strategic coordination.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-Evening Report: It’s a hard job being environment minister. Here’s an insider’s view of the key challenges facing Murray Watt

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University

    Australia’s new environment minister, Murray Watt, is reported to be a fixer. That’s good, because there’s a lot to fix.

    Being environment minister is a hard gig. It often requires difficult choices between environmental and economic priorities. In cabinet, the minister is often up against a phalanx of ministers with economic portfolios and overriding political imperatives such as jobs and growth. I saw this repeatedly over the 16 years when I held senior leadership roles in environment departments at territory and federal levels.

    In Labor’s first term, this tension played out again. Former environment minister Tanya Plibersek came to the role with big ideas. To that end, she tried to make Australia’s national environment laws fit for purpose and introduce a federal environmental protection agency (EPA).

    A cumbersome approach to consultation didn’t help, but ultimately it was development concerns led by big mining companies and West Australian Premier Roger Cook that saw the reform can kicked down the road. Perversely, the only legal reform we saw was an amendment to protect not a threatened species, but the salmon farms threatening it.

    Now it’s Watt’s turn. He has a reputation for getting things done and may drive a bargain to get some version of the EPA through. But that’s only one piece of the reform jigsaw and he’ll have to return to the mammoth task of reforming Australia’s national environment laws. He will have to push back against efforts by the Greens in the Senate to broaden the agenda to include climate and forests, and weather opposing pressures from industry and environment groups.

    Stalled reforms

    Watt’s largest challenge will be to revive the stalled Nature Positive Plan. This was the government’s response to the 2020 Samuel Review, which found Australia’s natural environment and iconic places were declining and under increasing threat, while national environmental laws were no longer fit for purpose.

    Samuel’s solution was groundbreaking: create new, legally enforceable national environmental standards to deliver better environmental protection. Last term, Labor committed to introducing the standards, reforming laws and introducing an EPA. Unfortunately, Plibersek ran out of time and most of the reforms were put on the backburner.

    Plibersek pitched an independent EPA as a tough cop on the beat, but it wasn’t independent enough for many environmentalists.

    Industry didn’t like it either. WA miners used their influence to attack the EPA for being unaccountable. Their lobbying worked and the EPA was pushed back. As one mining figure told the Australian Financial Review: “The heat [industry pressure] was no one’s first preference; it was just required because there was no other way to influence the actual policymaking.”

    Miners and other big businesses are likely worried the proposed independent EPA would reduce their influence. At present, the environment minister has near-complete discretion over approvals. Much of this discretion — and the political influence associated with it — would disappear with an independent EPA making decisions based on national environmental standards.

    More challenges are looming. Here are two:

    Gas extraction on the North West Shelf

    Watt will soon have to decide on Woodside’s application to expand gas extraction off Australia’s northwest coast. If approved, the North West Shelf Extension Project would be Australia’s largest resource project. Environmentalists hate it, describing it as a climate bomb. The WA government approved it last year.

    If Watt follows the pattern of his predecessors, we can expect to see the development approved subject to numerous conditions, pitched as strict environmental safeguards. Despite such safeguards applying to operations in Australia, the real damage done by the project will be global, not local, as the gas will be burned overseas.

    Murray-Darling Basin Plan

    The delayed ten-year review of the Murray-Darling basin plan is due in 2026. It will reopen old wounds. The basic problem is there’s not enough water for both the environment and irrigators.

    When the draft plan was first released in 2010, angry irrigators burned a copy of it. The government backpedalled furiously, eventually approving a plan with a lot less water returned to the environment. Experts say the plan hasn’t actually helped the environment.

    Watt is a former agriculture minister and will have insight into both sides. But he’ll need the wisdom of Solomon to come up with a successful approach.

    It’s hard to fix systems

    Making environmental headway is downright hard. The underlying problem is that politics is about trade-offs, but nature doesn’t negotiate. Nature is a system of systems, and if we take too much from it those systems begin to break down – usually irreversibly.

    In previous decades, governments often dealt with environmental problems by creating national parks and World Heritage areas. If only things were still that simple.

    Peter Burnett is affiliated with the Biodiversity Council, an independent expert group founded to provide evidence-based solutions to Australia’s biodiversity crisis.

    ref. It’s a hard job being environment minister. Here’s an insider’s view of the key challenges facing Murray Watt – https://theconversation.com/its-a-hard-job-being-environment-minister-heres-an-insiders-view-of-the-key-challenges-facing-murray-watt-256465

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI: RIBER secures a major order for an MBE 412 cluster system in Australia

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RIBER secures a major order for an MBE 412 cluster system
    in Australia

    Bezons (France), May 13, 2025 – 8:00am (CET) – RIBER, the global leader for Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) equipment for the semiconductor industry, announces the sale of a research MBE 412 cluster platform with an automatic wafer transfer system to a leading Australian research laboratory.

    The Western Australia Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF WA Node), based at the University of Western Australia, is the only research center in the country with expertise and device fabrication capabilities for infrared (IR) sensors, including high density imaging focal plane arrays.

    To advance its research in IR technologies and to support the development of sovereign IR sensor capabilities in Australia, the ANFF WA Node has placed an order for a new RIBER MBE 412 system. This dual chamber cluster platform will play a key role in long-term R&D efforts and is expected to significantly enhance the laboratory’s capabilities.

    Specially designed for research on next-generation infrared imaging devices, the MBE 412 system is fully automated, supports wafers up to 7 x 7 cm, and is equipped with RIBER’s Crystal XE software for state-of-the-art uniformity performance. To meet the customer needs, the system is also Hg-compatible, enabling the growth of HgCdTe (mercury cadmium telluride, MCT) structures. All components – including equipment, pumps, and effusion cells – have been customized to comply with the lab’s specific requirements, with comprehensive technical and process support provided.

    The system will be installed in 2026 in a new laboratory at the University of Western Australia, adjacent to an existing MBE system.

    Annie Geoffroy, Chairwoman and CEO of RIBER commented: “We are proud to continue supporting our long-standing partners. This order placed 36 years after the acquisition of a first RIBER 32P system – still in operation today – illustrates the enduring trust in our technology. The MBE 412 platform, equipped with the latest innovations, reaffirms our commitment to delivering high-performance, reliable, and safe MBE solutions tailored to the evolving needs of research institutions.

    About RIBER

    Founded in 1964, RIBER is the global market leader for MBE – molecular beam epitaxy – equipment. It designs and produces equipment for the semiconductor industry and provides scientific and technical support for its clients (hardware and software), maintaining their equipment and optimizing their performance and output levels. Accelerating the performance of electronics, RIBER’s equipment performs an essential role in the development of advanced semiconductors that are used in numerous applications, from information technologies to photonics (lasers, sensors, etc.), 5G telecommunications networks and research, including quantum computing. RIBER is a BPI France-approved innovative company and is listed on the Euronext Growth Paris market (ISIN: FR0000075954).
    www.riber.com

    Contacts

    RIBER
    Annie Geoffroy | tel: +33 (0)1 39 96 65 00 | invest@riber.com
    Justine Dauvisis | tel: +33 (0)6 67 93 38 40 | communication@riber.fr  

    ACTUS FINANCE & COMMUNICATION
    Cyril Combe | tel: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 36 | ccombe@actus.fr

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-Evening Report: The US and China have reached a temporary truce in the trade wars, but more turbulence lies ahead

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Draper, Professor, and Executive Director: Institute for International Trade, and Jean Monnet Chair of Trade and Environment, University of Adelaide

    Defying expectations, the United States and China have announced an important agreement to de-escalate bilateral trade tensions after talks in Geneva, Switzerland.

    The good, the bad and the ugly

    The good news is their recent tariff increases will be slashed. The US has cut tariffs on Chinese imports from 145% to 30%, while China has reduced levies on US imports from 125% to 10%. This greatly eases major bilateral trade tensions, and explains why financial markets rallied.

    The bad news is twofold. First, the remaining tariffs are still high by modern standards. The US average trade-weighted tariff rate was 2.2% on January 1 2025, while it is now estimated to be up to 17.8%. This makes it the highest tariff wall since the 1930s.

    Overall, it is very likely a new baseline has been set. Bilateral tariff-free trade belongs to a bygone era.

    Second, these tariff reductions will be in place for 90 days, while negotiations continue. Talks will likely include a long list of difficult-to-resolve issues. China’s currency management policy and industrial subsidies system dominated by state-owned enterprises will be on the table. So will the many non-tariff barriers Beijing can turn on and off like a tap.

    China is offering to purchase unspecified quantities of US goods – in a repeat of a US-China “Phase 1 deal” from Trump’s first presidency that was not implemented. On his first day in office in January, amid a blizzard of executive orders, Trump ordered a review of that deal’s implementation. The review found China didn’t follow through on the agriculture, finance and intellectual property protection commitments it had made.

    Unless the US has now decided to capitulate to Beijing’s retaliatory actions, it is difficult to see the US being duped again.

    Failure to agree on these points would reveal the ugly truth that both countries continue to impose bilateral export controls on goods deemed sensitive, such as semiconductors (from the US to China) and processed critical minerals (from China to the US).

    Moreover, in its so-called “reciprocal” negotiations with other countries, the US is pressing trading partners to cut certain sensitive China-sourced goods from their exports destined for US markets. China is deeply unhappy about these US demands and has threatened to retaliate against trading partners that adopt them.

    A temporary truce

    Overall, the announcement is best viewed as a truce that does not shift the underlying structural reality that the US and China are locked into a long-term cycle of escalating strategic competition.




    Read more:
    Why Trump fails to understand China’s trade war tactics, and what his negotiators should be reading


    That cycle will have its ups (the latest announcement) and downs (the tariff wars that preceded it). For now, both sides have agreed to announce victory and focus on other matters.

    For the US, this means ensuring there will be consumer goods on the shelves in time for Halloween and Christmas, albeit at inflated prices. For China, it means restoring some export market access to take pressure off its increasingly ailing economy.

    As neither side can vanquish the other, the likely long-term result is a frozen conflict. This will be punctuated by attempts to achieve “escalation dominance”, as that will determine who emerges with better terms. Observers’ opinions on where the balance currently lies are divided.

    Along the way, and to use a quote widely attributed to Winston Churchill, to “jaw-jaw is better than to war-war”. Fasten your seat belts, there is more turbulence to come.

    Where does this leave the rest of us?

    Significantly, the US has not (so far) changed its basic goals for all its bilateral trade deals.

    Its overarching aim is to cut the goods trade deficit by reducing goods imports and eliminating non-tariff barriers it says are “unfairly” prohibiting US exports. The US also wants to remove barriers to digital trade and investments by tech giants and “derisk” certain imports that it deems sensitive for national security reasons.

    The agreement between the US and UK last week clearly reflects these goals in operation. While the UK received some concessions, the remaining tariffs are higher, at 10% overall, than on April 2 and subject to US-imposed import quotas. Furthermore, the UK must open its market for certain goods while removing China-originating content from steel and pharmaceutical products destined for the US.

    For Washington’s Pacific defence treaty allies, including Australia, nothing has changed. Potentially difficult negotiations with the Trump administration lie ahead, particularly if the US decides to use our security dependencies as leverage to wring concessions in trade. Japan has already disavowed linking security and trade, and their progress should be closely watched.

    The US has previously paused high tariffs on manufacturing nations in South-East Asia, particularly those used by other nations as export platforms to avoid China tariffs. Vietnam, Cambodia and others will face sustained uncertainty and increasingly difficult balancing acts. The economic stakes are higher for them.

    They, like the Japanese, are long-practised in the subtle arts of balancing the two giants. Still, juggling ties with both Washington and Beijing will become the act of an increasingly high-wire trapeze artist.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    ref. The US and China have reached a temporary truce in the trade wars, but more turbulence lies ahead – https://theconversation.com/the-us-and-china-have-reached-a-temporary-truce-in-the-trade-wars-but-more-turbulence-lies-ahead-256448

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI: Jeito Capital leads EUR 132 million oversubscribed Series B financing in Azafaros to advance Phase 3 clinical programs of innovative therapies in rare inherited neuro-metabolic disorders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Jeito Capital leads EUR 132 million oversubscribed Series B financing in Azafaros to advance Phase 3 clinical programs of innovative therapies
    in rare inherited neuro-metabolic disorders

    • Proceeds will support two Phase 3 pivotal programs with nizubaglustat, lead asset in Niemann-Pick disease Type C disease and GM1/GM2 gangliosidoses, three forms of rare lysosomal storage disorders, as well as expanding Azafaros pipeline to other indications
    • The patient benefit drives Jeito’s mission. This investment in life threatening rare genetic disorders, affecting children and young adults illustrates Jeito’s commitment to accelerate the development of high-impact treatments for patients with high unmet needs

    Paris, France, May 13, 2025 – Jeito Capital (“Jeito”), a global leading independent Private Equity fund dedicated to biopharma, announces today it is leading an oversubscribed
    EUR 132 million Series B financing round in Azafaros, a clinical-stage company focused on developing disease-modifying therapeutics to offer new treatment options to patients with rare lysosomal storage disorders.

    The financing is led by Jeito Capital, and co-led by Forbion Growth, with participation from Seroba, Pictet Group and existing investors Forbion Ventures, Schroders Capital and BioGeneration Ventures.

    Rachel Mears, Partner, and Julien Elric, Senior Principal at Jeito Capital will join Azafaros’s Board of Directors as Board members.

    Founded in 2018 and built on scientific discoveries from Leiden University and Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC), Azafaros is led by a seasoned team of experts in rare disease drug development and commercialization. The company is developing a first-in-class dual-acting drug candidate to offer new treatment options to patients with lysosomal storage disorders, a group of severe rare genetic diseases that often cause progressive neurodegeneration and, in many cases, fatal outcomes. Its lead asset, nizubaglustat, has been awarded Orphan Drug Designation in both the US and Europe as well as Fast track status in the US.

    The financing will advance two Phase 3 programs with nizubaglustat, lead asset in Niemann-Pick disease Type C (NPC) disease and GM1/GM2 gangliosidoses as well as expanding Azafaros pipeline to other indications. The company expects to initiate both Phase 3 studies later this year.

    Dr. Rafaèle Tordjman, MD, PhD, Founder and CEO of Jeito Capital, said:
    This investment reflects Jeito’s commitment to accelerating the development of impactful therapies for patients with high unmet needs. Azafaros has the potential to develop new efficient, safe and tolerable therapeutic options for young patients suffering from progressive debilitating and even fatal rare metabolic disorders that generates very high expectations. We look forward to supporting the talented Azafaros team with our collective expertise to accelerate its pivotal clinical developments to go faster to patients.”

    Rachel Mears, Partner at Jeito Capital, added:
    “Azafaros has been impressive in its execution with nizubaglustat poised to begin Phase 3 clinical development and the potential to significantly improve the lives of NPC and GM1/GM2 patients. We are excited to support and accelerate the Azafaros team in this important next step in the Company’s clinical development journey. Leading this round further demonstrates Jeito’s commitment to making a meaningful difference in patients’ lives by pursuing much needed benefits for those suffering from rare diseases.”

    Stefano Portolano, Chief Executive Officer at Azafaros, concluded:
    “This successful Series B round marks a significant milestone for Azafaros, allowing us to accelerate the development of nizubaglustat and leverage our scientific understanding and competencies to bring additional candidates into development. The fact that we have been able to attract leading life sciences investors to join our existing strong group of specialist investors is a testament to the impressive accomplishments of the team and the large unmet medical need that currently exists for patients with these hugely debilitating neurological diseases. We look forward to bringing nizubaglustat to patients.”

    About Jeito Capital
    Jeito Capital is a global leading Private Equity fund with a patient benefit driven approach that finances and accelerates the development and growth of ground-breaking medical innovation. Jeito empowers and supports managers through its expert, integrated, multi-talented team and through the investment of significant capital to ensure the growth of companies, building market leaders in their respective therapeutic areas with accelerated patients’ access globally, especially in Europe and the United States. Jeito has built a diversified portfolio of clinical biopharmas with cutting-edge innovations addressing high unmet needs. Jeito Capital is based in Paris with a presence in Europe and the United States.
    For more information, please visit www.jeito.life or follow us on LinkedIn.

    About Azafaros

    Azafaros is a clinical-stage company founded in 2018 with a deep understanding of rare genetic disease mechanisms using compound discoveries made by scientists at Leiden University and Amsterdam UMC and is led by a team of highly experienced industry experts. Azafaros aims to build a pipeline of disease-modifying therapeutics to offer new treatment options to patients and their families. By applying its knowledge, network and courage, the Azafaros team challenges traditional development pathways to rapidly bring new drugs to the rare disease patients who need them. Azafaros is supported by Leading Healthcare investors including Jeito Capital, Forbion Growth, Seroba, Pictet Group and a syndicate of leading Dutch and Swiss existing investors including Forbion Ventures, BioGeneration Ventures (BGV), BioMedPartners, Asahi Kasei Pharma Ventures, and Schroders Capital.

    Contacts:

    Jeito Capital                                        
    Rafaèle Tordjman, Founder & CEO
    Jessica Fadel, EA
    Tel: +33 6 33 44 25 47

    Maior                                                ICR Healthcare
    Stéphanie Elbaz                                Mary-Jane Elliott / Davide Salvi / Kris Lam
    Tel: +33 6 46 05 08 07                        Jeito@icrhealthcare.com
    Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700

                                                    Sean Leous
                                                    ICR Healthcare
                                                    sean.leous@icrhealthcare.com
    Tel: +1 (646) 866 4012

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s Basic Education to Include AI Curriculum

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) — China will establish a multi-tiered system of comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) education programs covering primary, first- and second-grade middle schools across the country to guide students from gaining fundamental cognitive knowledge to practical technological innovation, according to policy documents released Monday.

    At the primary school level, China’s Ministry of Education (MOE) prioritizes AI literacy by introducing basic technologies such as voice recognition and image classification.

    Building on the foundation of this cognitive aspect, junior high school students will deepen their understanding of AI logic, explore machine learning processes, and develop critical thinking to identify the risk of misinformation in AI-generated results.

    In the upper secondary school, the focus shifts to applied innovation. Students will use their accumulated knowledge of AI to develop and improve AI algorithm models while developing interdisciplinary systems thinking.

    To achieve these goals, the Ministry of Education and Science of the People’s Republic of China will promote the inclusion of professional skills in pedagogy and teaching using AI in the teacher training system, calling on schools to develop differentiated content curricula and practical assignments in accordance with the age characteristics and stages of cognitive development of schoolchildren.

    Notably, the Chinese Ministry of Education and Science emphasizes the pedagogical potential of generative AI. “Teachers can use generative AI tools to deploy interactive learning and create immersive teaching experiences,” said an official in charge of the basic education segment of the Chinese Ministry of Education and Science.

    He also called for practically strengthening students’ ability to make logical inferences and enhancing their level of innovative thinking through AI-based interactive learning.

    At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of the People’s Republic of China emphasized that students are strictly prohibited from directly copying content created by AI as homework or answers to exam questions. At the same time, the department requires teachers at the aforementioned educational institutions to develop students’ ability to think critically about the results of AI work and practically increase their level of independence in processing information. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Education – 30 Years of responding to the need for mental health and addiction nursing at Whitireia and WelTec

    Source: Whitireia and WelTec

    Whitireia and WelTec are celebrating a 30-year milestone for their New Entry to Specialist Practice: mental health and addiction nursing programme (NESP). The one-year programme combines theory, supported clinical experience, clinical preceptorship and supervision and has been a hugely influential part in supporting communities all the way from Hawkes Bay to Nelson and everywhere in between.
    Over the last three decades NESP has grown exponentially. This no doubt is due to the increasing understanding of mental health and the complex clinical expertise that is required to support the needs of the individuals, as well as their whānau and wider community.
    Carmel Haggerty, Head of School for Health and Wellbeing at Whitireia and WelTec, has been involved with the programme since its inception in 1995. “Over the time that I have been involved, NESP has seen many changes with the programme including having it going from a Graduate Diploma to a Postgraduate Certificate, growing from its initial medical model of delivery to a more nursing focused, context-based learning programme,” says Carmel Haggerty.
    The programme’s flexible, distance-learning structure allows ākonga to work full-time while studying, with regular block courses on campus to consolidate learning and foster connection. This approach has enabled graduates to step into a wide variety of roles, making a tangible difference across the sector.
    Waimarama Durie (Ngāti Kauwhata, Rangitāne, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Raukawa), a 2018 NESP graduate, is a leading example of the varied and impactful careers enabled by the programme. Waimarama’s journey has included roles such as Clinical Nurse Specialist at Mt Eden Corrections Facility, Improving Mental Health Practitioner at Rimutaka Prison, Māori Nurse Educator at Te Rau Ora leading the Huarahi Whakatū PDRP and Āporei (Principal Advisor) at Te Whatu Ora. She credits NESP for equipping her with the skills and confidence to make a real difference, connecting her with like-minded peers, and broadening her approach to holistic, Kaupapa Māori-informed care.
    “One of the most beneficial aspects was working in the field while studying, bringing real-world experiences back to the classroom to learn and grow with peers and teachers,” says Waimarama Durie. “The programme broadened my perspective and encouraged me to seek holistic approaches and integrate Kaupapa Māori into my practice.”
    The programme’s success is a testament to its ongoing responsiveness. Course leaders and tutors are constantly reviewing and updating course content to reflect the latest best practices, Ministry guidelines, and community feedback. A strong emphasis is also placed on the wellbeing of ākonga, who often juggle study commitments while working in challenging environments. This support ensures graduates are not only clinically skilled, but also resilient, culturally competent, and ready to meet the evolving needs of the people they serve.
    Catherine Fuller, Principal Academic Staff Member at Whitireia and WelTec, says “there will always be a need for nurses working in clinical areas, but really the opportunities that come out of this course are as diverse as the workforce at the time and the skills involved are transferable to all industries.”
    Join our Postgraduate intake. Mid-year starting programmes are open for application now: https://www.whitireiaweltec.ac.nz/study-programmes?enrolling=true

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Arts – Ngā Kaituhi Māori NZSA programme recipients 2025

    Source: NZ Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa

    The NZ Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa – Ngā Kaituhi Māori has announced the recipients of its The NZSA Ngā Kaituhi Māori Mentorship and Kupu Kaitiaki Programmes for 2025.

    We are pleased to congratulate the four emerging writers who have each been selected for the Mentor Programme, with a six-month opportunity to work closely with an acclaimed Māori writer as their mentor to hone their tuhituhi ability and, in the process, evolve and refine a work toward a publishable manuscript.

    The four mentor and mentees matchings are Hoani Hakaraia with Cassie Hart; Mereana Latimer with Emma Hislop; Tallullah Cardno with Steph Matuku and Tommy de Silvawith Cassie Hart.

    The two emerging writers selected for the Kupu Kaitiaki Assessment programme for 2025 are Rose Toia and Billy Tangaere, who will receive detailed feedback on their writing and discuss next steps with their manuscript assessor.

    Matua Witi Ihimaera DCNZM QSM (Ngāti Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki), NZSA’s Ngā Kaituhi Māori Chair, says “E ngā kaituhi tātou, ngā mihi. It’s always thrilling to read the work of new writers and to trust to your potential, congratulations, mīharo. And I am always grateful to senior writers like Emma Hislop, Cassie Hart and Steph Matuku who have stepped up to provide the important tuakana-teina relationship that lies at the centre of this NZSA-Ngā Kaituhi Māori kaupapa to nurture new literary stars, he ngākau atawhai o koutou. To those who weren’t successful in your applications to the Mentorship and Assessment programmes, keep trying, I was once in your ranks! Kia kaha to all, kia manawanui.”

    Mentors – Mentees:

    Emma Hislop’s (Kāi Tahu) book of fiction, Ruin and other stories, won the Hubert Church Prize for Fiction, Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Award at the 2024 Ockham Awards. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from IIML. In 2023 she was awarded the Michael King Writer’s Centre International Residency at Varuna House, NSW. Emma is part of Te Hā Taranaki, a collective for Māori writers, established in 2019. In 2025 she is herself an Arts Foundation mentee working with Te Tumu Toi Icon Patricia Grace DCNZM QSO. Emma will be mentoring Mereana Latimer.

    Mereana Latimer (Ātiu, Ngā Wairiki, Ngāti Apa) is anchored where ngā hau e whā converge in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Mereana’s writing has been included in Symposia, Turbine | Kapohau, Sweet Mammalian, takahē, Katūīvei (Massey University Press, 2024) and staged as part of an anthology with thanks to Prayas Theatre. Although a fool for poetry (with thanks to the Lemon Juice Writers’ Group), this mentorship supports Mereana to branch out into long-form prose.

    Steph Matuku (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, Te Atiawa) is a writer from Taranaki and a graduate of Te Papa Tupu. Her first two novels, Flight of the Fantail and Whetū Toa and the Magician were Storylines Notable Books. Whetū Toa was a finalist at the 2019 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Her recent novel for young adults, Migration, was winner of the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Young Adult Book 2025. Steph will be mentoring Tallulah Cardno.

    Tallulah Cardno (Kāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi) (she/her) is a queer wahine living in Te Whanganui-A-Tara with her partner and young daughter. She comes from a family of writers and has been writing for as long as she can remember. Tallulah’s writing touches on the themes of queerness, motherhood, womanhood, grief, her Māori-Pākehā identity, her journey to reconnect to her Māori heritage, decolonisation, mental health, and relationships. She is a novelist and a poet, and has been published in Awa Wahine.

    Cassie Hart (Kāi Tahu) is an award-winning Māori/Pakeha writer, editor and mentor from Taranaki and graduate of Te Papa Tupu. She writes speculative fiction under her own name as well as a further 10 titles published under pseudonym. She received special recognition for her services to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror in 2021 with a Sir Julius Vogel award. Cassie will be mentoring both Tommy de Silva and Hoani Hakaraia.

    Ko Tame de Silva tooku ingoa. He uri teenei noo Ngaati Te Ata me Te Waiohua. I’m a rangatahi freelance writer – with mahi published by Waipapa Taumata Rau, The Spinoff, and Lonely Planet – who hails from the scenic shores of Taamaki Makaurau. Through this tuakana-teina experience I hope to expand my writing arsenal by learning how to write fiction. Learning the ropes of how to put pen to paper to write a novel is a dream come true!

    Hoani Hakaraia: He uri tēnei nō ngā iwi ō Tainui waka (Ngāti Raukawa te au ki te Tonga, Ngāti Wehi Wehi) me Te Arawa (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao). I am a product of kohanga reo, whānau, hapū, iwi, and marae. Growing up in Ōtaki I have always been awed by the epic tales of Tāwhaki and Mauī. I never wanted to be a writer, but it seems my mother might have birthed a storyteller anyway. I never wanted to be a writer, but inspired by the stories of worlds’ dystopian and fantastic in books, on screens, and in the real histories of the South Pacific and beyond, I seek the skills to create a new story that provides a space for self-reflection and inspiration.

    Kupu Kaitiaki Assessment Recipients:

    Eva Rose Toia (Ngāpuhi) is a corporate writer in a kaupapa Māori organisation and has a background in transcription, editing, and language accessibility. Her career has centred on crafting clear writing that supports others in their mahi. She’s now using those skills to contribute to kaupapa that matter to her: the future of te reo Māori, and how we revive and protect the stories of our whānau, hapū, and marae. She has a growing interest in the impact of technology on indigenous peoples, and is drafting a memoir exploring relationships, intimacy, and identity. She writes with care, is fascinated by the stories held in a single word, and loves how language can change minds.

    Billy Tangaere (Ngāti Porou) is a former soldier, artist, and MBA graduate whose words rise from the embers of a brutal past and soar toward ancestral light. In TOHU: A Journey of Healing, he walks the path of redemption with raw honesty, spiritual depth, and the unwavering strength of Māori wisdom. It answers the universal question on everyone’s lips: Who am I? Where do I belong? What is my calling? It is a story of self-discovery, healing, and redemption. Through the Māori lens of ancient knowing, Billy guides readers home—to their roots, their calling, and the stars where their ancestors wait. His story is not just his own—it is a mirror for all who seek healing, identity, and the courage to remember who they truly are. Seek the power of your roots.

    The NZSA Kaituhi Māori Mentorship Programme was established to foster and develop emerging writing talent around New Zealand with the support of established authors. The programme aims to support the amplification of Māori voices and Māori stories, and ultimately see greater publication and performance of these works. There are four spaces in the programme each year.  

    NZSA Kupu Kaitiaki Programme was established to provide new and emerging kaituhi with valuable feedback and a detailed manuscript assessment from a skilled Kupu Kaitiaki, working to refine and develop a manuscript. There are two places available annually.

    These two programmes are recent additions to The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa’s successful mentoring and assessment programmes for writers that have been running for over 30 years, and are an invaluable pipeline that nurtures emerging talent and helps new writers craft their manuscripts and build their skills.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News